The Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, Federal Institute for Vaccines and Biomedicines, is taking on responsibility for protecting the environment and, as a higher federal authority, makes an active contribution to achieving the climate neutrality of the federal administration by 2030. The Paul-Ehrlich-Institut has taken steps to accomplish this goal by introducing an environmental management system that was certified under the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) at the end of 2025. The EMAS certification confirms that environmental aspects such as resource conservation and energy efficiency are firmly anchored in the day-to-day work of the Institute. The EMAS certificate was officially awarded on 14 January 2026 at the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut in Langen.
From left to right: Kirsten Schoder-Steinmüller, President of IHK Offenbach am Main, Professor Stefan Vieths, President of the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, Dr Ute Pfitzner, Head of Administration Division, Natascha Ebert, Sustainability Officer.
Source: Paul-Ehrlich-Institut
There is a close link between protecting the environment and protecting public health: sustainable action, responsible use of resources, and continuous improvement of environmentally relevant processes make an important contribution to prevention and safeguarding public health in the long-term. Since the environment and health are so closely linked, the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, as the Federal Institute for Vaccines and Biomedicines, sees sustainable action as an integral part of its statutory mandate.
The Paul-Ehrlich-Institut has been certified in accordance with the European environmental management system EMAS since 2025. Its successful validation signifies that the Institute meets strict requirements for environmental performance, legal certainty, and transparency and is committed to developing its environmental management further in a systematic and verifiable manner. Measures taken by the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut are continuously reviewed, progress is measured, and potential for improvement is identified – with support from internal and external audits.
A central component of EMAS is also the transparent communication of environmental measures and performance. In its 2025 environmental statement, presenting environmental data from 2021 to 2024, the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut outlines the progress that it has made to date, including a reduction of energy consumption by 13% from 2021 to 2024. Paper consumption was reduced by 0.7 tons of paper in 2024 compared to the previous year, and 30% fewer letters were posted. These are positive effects of increasing digitalisation in the administrative and laboratory areas. The Paul-Ehrlich-Institut's plans for the coming years include further strengthening employee environmental awareness, reducing greenhouse gas emissions in a targeted manner, and taking sustainability into account even more consistently in procurement and contracting processes.
The EMAS certification underlines the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut's commitment to assuming responsibility not only for the safety, efficacy, quality, and availability of vaccines and biomedicines, but also for the environment and climate.
The federal government has set itself the goal of making the federal administration climate-neutral by 2030 pursuant to section 15 of the Federal Climate Action Act and of anchoring sustainability in all administrative areas as part of a comprehensive programme of measures. Climate neutrality of the federal administration is to be achieved in particular by saving energy; efficiently providing, converting, using, and storing energy; using more renewable energy; and using the most climate-friendly means of transport possible.
Updated: 14.01.2026
